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crossing_lostrp“This really would make a great resort spot,” Megabyte decided, tossing a broken shell into the waves. “You know, once you get past the creepy telepathic Neanderthals, telepathic smoke clouds and the still ever elusive probably biomechanical T-Rex.”
Walking beside him, Ami gave a laugh. “You advertise them as ‘attractions.’ Survivalist types would kill for the opportunity to be here. Pardon the pun.”
It was early morning and a majority of the camp slept. Megabyte had, in fact, been awakened by Ami far earlier than he would have liked. He told her as much, but any attempts to go back to sleep had been thrawted by Hurley’s sleep-talking and irregular snoring. So, in the end, Megabyte grabbed his swim trunks and joined Ami, curious about what was so urgent she had to wake him at The Crack of Doom.
She’d told him. All the little weird bits and things that she hadn’t shared with him before – starting with the Frenchwoman’s, Danielle’s, repeating distress signal. That had earned her some scorn and harsh words, but in the end he apologized, recognizing that he probably would have done the same in her shoes and it would have been to protect her. In exchange he told her about ‘porting Tommy and Emerson away from the Smoke Monster and how Locke learned that he was telepathic and able to teleport.
“Rose knows too,” Ami told him.
“Yeah, and so does The Doctor.” He scowled when he said ‘The Doctor.’
Ami shook her head. “No, The Doctor knows we’re telepathic. Rose knows about The Tomorrow People.”
“She didn’t tell him?”
“It’s not her secret to tell, so she hasn’t,” Ami said with a grin. “I think she likes knowing something that he doesn’t know, so I’ve been working on keeping it secret as long as possible.”
She confessed to her telekinetic demonstration for George, which prompted Megabyte's admission of telling George he was 'empathic.' That in turn led to explanations of *why* he'd had to explain and a good deal of teasing on his part and blushing on hers. From that point, the conversation naturally segued into talking about Scott, and as Ami had expected, Megabyte was completely non-pulsed by the whole half-alien bit. She hesitated before telling him that part, but in the end decided that the only way to really explain everything to Megabyte was to explain everything to Megabyte.
/Scott’s had some bad experiences with the Air Force and a government agency called the FSA. He didn’t – he couldn’t – trust you because of the fact that you work for WorldEx./ Ami held up a hand to stave off his objections, /He’s relented now or I couldn’t have talked to you about any of this. But you have to understand, Scott’s paranoia makes you look laid back when it comes to being cautious.
/And he doesn’t like you./
Megabyte shrugged. /Yeah, I got that loud and clear./
/It’s not as though you like him very much at all either,/ Ami pointed out. /Which is a complete and total pain in my arse. My best friend and my boyfriend hate each other./
/We got off on the wrong foot, which might not have happened if I’d know all this other stuff about him./ Off of Ami’s look, he sighed. /Ok, maybe the whole jealousy thing would still have caused plenty of problems, but knowing that there was some sort of weird telepathic mumbo jumbo going on? Would have helped a lot./
“I know,” Ami whispered quietly. “And I did want to tell you. I never wanted to keep you intentionally in the dark, Megabyte.” She reached out and took his hand, /You do understand that I hated hurting you like that? That if there had been *any other* way, I would have taken it in a heartbeat?/
/I know./ Megabyte gave her hand a squeeze and then pulled her to him in a tight, friendly and completely platonic hug. /Water under the bridge, now okay?/
Hugging him back, Ami smiled. For the first time in days, she truly felt like her friendship with Megabyte was back where it needed to be. After a moment, she gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek and stepped back, catching his gaze. /There is a wee bit more./
Megabyte sighed. “There always is.”
"We're going to be stuck here for at least six months."
Megabyte didn't ask how she knew that, maybe he assumed that she had gained some precognitive knowledge of everything. He raked his fingers through his hair, "Gonna miss your birthday and Christmas."
Walking beside him, Ami gave a laugh. “You advertise them as ‘attractions.’ Survivalist types would kill for the opportunity to be here. Pardon the pun.”
It was early morning and a majority of the camp slept. Megabyte had, in fact, been awakened by Ami far earlier than he would have liked. He told her as much, but any attempts to go back to sleep had been thrawted by Hurley’s sleep-talking and irregular snoring. So, in the end, Megabyte grabbed his swim trunks and joined Ami, curious about what was so urgent she had to wake him at The Crack of Doom.
She’d told him. All the little weird bits and things that she hadn’t shared with him before – starting with the Frenchwoman’s, Danielle’s, repeating distress signal. That had earned her some scorn and harsh words, but in the end he apologized, recognizing that he probably would have done the same in her shoes and it would have been to protect her. In exchange he told her about ‘porting Tommy and Emerson away from the Smoke Monster and how Locke learned that he was telepathic and able to teleport.
“Rose knows too,” Ami told him.
“Yeah, and so does The Doctor.” He scowled when he said ‘The Doctor.’
Ami shook her head. “No, The Doctor knows we’re telepathic. Rose knows about The Tomorrow People.”
“She didn’t tell him?”
“It’s not her secret to tell, so she hasn’t,” Ami said with a grin. “I think she likes knowing something that he doesn’t know, so I’ve been working on keeping it secret as long as possible.”
She confessed to her telekinetic demonstration for George, which prompted Megabyte's admission of telling George he was 'empathic.' That in turn led to explanations of *why* he'd had to explain and a good deal of teasing on his part and blushing on hers. From that point, the conversation naturally segued into talking about Scott, and as Ami had expected, Megabyte was completely non-pulsed by the whole half-alien bit. She hesitated before telling him that part, but in the end decided that the only way to really explain everything to Megabyte was to explain everything to Megabyte.
/Scott’s had some bad experiences with the Air Force and a government agency called the FSA. He didn’t – he couldn’t – trust you because of the fact that you work for WorldEx./ Ami held up a hand to stave off his objections, /He’s relented now or I couldn’t have talked to you about any of this. But you have to understand, Scott’s paranoia makes you look laid back when it comes to being cautious.
/And he doesn’t like you./
Megabyte shrugged. /Yeah, I got that loud and clear./
/It’s not as though you like him very much at all either,/ Ami pointed out. /Which is a complete and total pain in my arse. My best friend and my boyfriend hate each other./
/We got off on the wrong foot, which might not have happened if I’d know all this other stuff about him./ Off of Ami’s look, he sighed. /Ok, maybe the whole jealousy thing would still have caused plenty of problems, but knowing that there was some sort of weird telepathic mumbo jumbo going on? Would have helped a lot./
“I know,” Ami whispered quietly. “And I did want to tell you. I never wanted to keep you intentionally in the dark, Megabyte.” She reached out and took his hand, /You do understand that I hated hurting you like that? That if there had been *any other* way, I would have taken it in a heartbeat?/
/I know./ Megabyte gave her hand a squeeze and then pulled her to him in a tight, friendly and completely platonic hug. /Water under the bridge, now okay?/
Hugging him back, Ami smiled. For the first time in days, she truly felt like her friendship with Megabyte was back where it needed to be. After a moment, she gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek and stepped back, catching his gaze. /There is a wee bit more./
Megabyte sighed. “There always is.”
"We're going to be stuck here for at least six months."
Megabyte didn't ask how she knew that, maybe he assumed that she had gained some precognitive knowledge of everything. He raked his fingers through his hair, "Gonna miss your birthday and Christmas."
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[Carlos] Excalibonk! (tag Ami, George, open)
Date: 2006-04-21 08:47 pm (UTC)He stuck the other, untrimmed, uncarved walking sticks up in a tree to cure and bleed out their sap, and grabbed the fresh-peeled, sap-smelling one he had just finished carving up for George.
It wasn't bad. It had a spiral grip, a fat knob on the top, and two mottoes: "Sweet Reason" on the one side, and on the other, in teeny letters: "If you can read this, bright boy, you were standing too fucking close." He walked away from the fireside and swung it experimentally a few times. They'd have to stick it up in a tree for a week before it was properly dried, but they'd be practicing with bamboo anyway.
He headed over there, steeling himself for a teasing question or two. "Hey!" he called, waving and holding up the walking stick. "Excalibonk's done!"
[George] Excalibonk! (tag Ami, Carlos, open)
Date: 2006-04-22 01:18 am (UTC)She grinned at Carlos when she saw Sweet Reason carved into one side of the stick. "Cool! Thanks!"
"Check out the other side," Carlos said. George turned the stick and read the tiny print, marveling at how he'd carved it so carefully. "Heh." Then she grabbed the stiff by one end like a bat and waved it menacingly. "'Bonk, bonk, bad grup!'"
At the confused looks she got from Ami and Carlos, George said, "Star Trek? Captain Kirk versus the three hundred year-old teenage delinquents? Hello? Buehler? Am I the only one here who wasted her life watching tv?" She sighed dramatically. "These kids today...."
[Ami] Excalibonk! (tag George, Carlos, open)
Date: 2006-04-22 01:50 am (UTC)There was, however, no way to tell him that she hadn't - and wouldn't - tell George a word about their past relationship. (It's not my place.) As a matter of fact, it seemed that being with George had at least cut back on some of the tension she felt being around him; some still existed, it was only natural, but Ami figured (and hoped) that it would resolve itself in time.
Ami laughed at George's antics and said in response to her explanation, "I never cared much for the original Star Trek. I did get a full dose of every incarnation thereafter simply through being friends with a couple of science fiction geeks."
She sobered then and smiled softly, "I'm glad that we talked and cleared the air, George." Her gaze shifted to Carlos, "And we didn't talk about you." Then simply to watch him squirm a bit, she added, "Much."
Returning her attention to George, Ami said, "Well, now that you have 'Excalibonk,' I nominate Georgia Lass to protect our collective arses when we go foraging."
[Carlos] Excalibonk! (tag George, Ami, open)
Date: 2006-04-22 06:21 am (UTC)He chuckled. "Actually I do sci-fi, but it's mostly books and movies. My big thing now since I learned Japanese is, big surprise, anime. Last year it was Russian animation."
"How many languages do you know?" Ami asked.
Carlos furrowed his brow. "Uh...seven now? Four from my job. Ex-job." Surprising vehemence in the correction. He felt her looking at him and fidgeted slightly.
It was easier to be around Ami now that he knew he could do the usual trick that he pulled whenever he was attracted to someone inappropriate. He took that sexual charge home to whoever he was dating and took it right out on her. Carlos was plenty attracted to George without that, of course, but he still had this feeling she wouldn't mind if he paid her even more attention. And he really wanted to be friends with Ami--and her sweetie, provided the guy could deal with him. Having a way of coping really did a lot to take away the awkwardness.
"The original Star Trek had a lot of funky, imaginative stuff, but it was campy and testosterone-fueled in the not-so-good way. I liked Next Generation because it wasn't so lowest-common-denominator, and they gave some pretty damn good actors a chance to show their chops. Plus it had Data and Worf. I mean, c'mon. That's my Saturday night poker group right there."
"The android and the big scary combat-alien?" George looked amused.
Carlos shrugged and grinned. "Imagine the conversations!"
"Yeah, but poker with Klingons sounds as adviseable as chess with Wookiees."
Carlos paused. /Geeze, she hasn't gotten the adrenaline junkie bit./ "Um, George, sweetheart? You're talking to a guy whose last day on the job involved jumping upside-down on a zipline out of a helicopter." /With an automatic in each fist. Gunning down zombies on a rooftop./
Two sets of eyes blinked at him, and he looked a bit sheepish. "Uh...heh. Nevermind?"
Ami's reassurance made him squirm appropriately. /I'm in trouble./
Carlos spoke up again at the protection idea. "I'm supplying Blaise's class with a bunch of these and bamboo practice staves. I'll make one for whoever wants--Ami, let me know; they're useful even if you're not breaking heads with them. I'm kinda liking working with my hands, though I'm just starting to learn what I'm doing."
[George] Excalibonk! (tag Carlos, Ami, open)
Date: 2006-04-22 11:46 pm (UTC)The conversation rolled on, Carlos expounding in the differences between Star Trek series. George's comment prompted Carlos to describe his last job, and the left George staring at him in surprise. (Jumping out of a helicopter upside down on a zipline?)
That reminded her of what he'd told her--was it only two days ago? Of fighting zombies in Raccoon City. Which was also his last job, from what she recalled. So...he'd been diving headfirst into a city full of flesh-eating zombies. (Holy shit, my boyfriend's a superhero!)
George watched him, aware that he was talking but not paying a lot of attention at the moment. She really had a boyfriend. And what a boyfriend! She was swamped by vivid memories of yesterday's lovemaking and a sudden desire to repeat the experience.
"You know exactly what you're doing with your hands," George argued, catching the last few words Carlos spoke.
[Ami] Excalibonk! (tag Carlos, George, open)
Date: 2006-04-23 12:24 am (UTC)Ami laughed at George’s words. “All right, then, I’d have to say that’s a bit of Too Much Information for me.”
She could feel a thread of lust and want, and traced it to George, and suddenly thought it might be best if she made a polite exit, but she didn’t want to seem as though she were being rude to Carlos. She’d already ducked out on him once – extenuating circumstances and all that – but still she didn’t want to give him the idea that she was avoiding him. Particularly now that some of the awkwardness had dissolved; her memories of her time with him only made her more interested in channeling her energy towards Scott and being with George seemed to have definitely made him less tense around her.
“Thanks for the offer, Carlos,” Ami said regarding the stick, “I’ll give it some thought. I’m still sitting the fence regarding Blaise’s self-defense class although I am being strongly encouraged to take part.”
[George] Did I Say That? (tag Carlos, Ami, open)
Date: 2006-04-23 01:53 am (UTC)(The hell with it,) George decided after a moment. (It's not like we don't all know what I meant. Or like everybody isn't going to know about Carlos and me very soon. Screw it!) "Yeah, well, you know," she said with a grin at Ami. She reached over and caught Carlos' hand in hers.
"You should," George said. "Take the class, I mean. It can't hurt, right?" Though honestly, George wasn't sure how useful it would be to Ami. If she could really just teleport away from trouble, maybe she didn't need self-defense lessons. But she didn't know how it worked, or how easy or difficult it might be.
Ami was the best judge of whether she needed self-defense lesson, George figured. She was smart. She'd figure out the right thing to do. "I'm gonna do it," George said. "Between Blaise's class and some tutoring from Carlos, I'll be a lean, mean fighting machine."
[Carlos] Excalibonk! (tag George, Ami, open)
Date: 2006-04-23 07:03 am (UTC)He loved the way George was looking at him, and the tone in her voice, but--damn. Present company made that--er um--heh..../Dammit, I'm being ganged up on!/ He laughed a little.
"Guess it depends on the activity, then," he managed fairly cheerily, giving George a wink. /I'm getting you for that later. And not much later, either./ "But making things, I'm new at. I'd kill for some proper tools, honestly."
Sheepish look. "Uh. Not literally, promise."
[Ami] Making an Exit (tag George, Carlos, open)
Date: 2006-04-23 02:49 pm (UTC)"Well," Ami said with knowing smile, "I think that I'm wanted over at the cookfire. I'll catch up with you two later." The words she directed at them both, but she held Carlos's gaze a moment longer than George's hoping that he would understand. She did want to talk to him, and make certain that the air was cleared, but she realized that now wasn't the time.
"George, I'll think about what we talked about," Ami told her. She looked at Carlos hard. "And you ... you had best take good care of George, or I'll beat you with one of those sticks."
She winked at George with a grin and explained, "Standard female friendship warning for men. Had to be said."
With a friendly smile to the new couple, and a jaunty wave, Ami set off in the other direction.
[Carlos] Making an Exit (tag George, Ami, open)
Date: 2006-04-24 01:09 am (UTC)At Ami's admonition, he slipped an arm around George, turned his smile on her and said, "Hey, I'll do my best."
He chuckled as Ami walked away. "I just gotta expect that kind of stuff, I guess. Even in the middle of weirdness central. Though for the record, it's not just girls that get protective of their friends that way."
A pair of Barbie lookalikes walked past and gave him a come-hither look that completely ignored George's presence and his arm around her. He blinked, puzzled. /Naw, they didn't--/ One of them winked. /Jesus, that's rude./
He responded to this by leaning over to give George a proper kiss hello. One of the girls made a small squeak of indignation and he smirked against her lips. "So how are you doing?" he asked as they broke.
[George] Making an Exit (tag Carlos, open)
Date: 2006-04-24 01:54 am (UTC)On the other hand, sometimes thinking back on it, she thought she would burst if she couldn't share her excitement and enthusiasm with someone. Ami's warning to Carlos made her feel good, too.
Carlos said it wasn't just girls who got protective of their friends. George smiled at him. "So who do I need to watch out for, then?"
Before he could answer George saw Amanda and Zoe walk past and give Carlos a blatant once-over. George frowned at them. Then Amanda gave Carlos a wink. George bristled at her behavior, but before she could say anything Carlos turned and gave her a very enthusiastic kiss.
It took George by surprise, but she was thrilled by his reaction to the would-be sirens. She kissed him back as thoroughly as she could manage and was happy to hear one of them squeak unhappily.
"So how are you doing?" Carlos asked when they came up for air.
George leaned back, keeping her arms around Carlos' shoulders and let the excitement and lust Carlos provoked in her show on her face. "I'm good," she said. She turned her head lazily to look directly at Amanda and added, "Yeah, you wish, bitch."
[Carlos] Making an Exit (tag George, open)
Date: 2006-04-24 07:51 pm (UTC)He didn't even bother acknowledging the pair of women. He'd never understood the vicious levels of sexual competition that some women got into just because they could. It annoyed him for George's sake, and for the presumption that he was essentially a pair of eyes attached to a sex drive.
George's flat statement to Amanda made him immediately have to hide a snickering fit in her hair. "We're both evil. You realize that, right?"
[George] Making an Exit (tag Carlos, open)
Date: 2006-04-24 09:52 pm (UTC)George shifted her gaze to Carlos. "Of course," she said. "That's what makes it so perfect."
She looked around. "So--now what, kemo sabe?" George glanced down at Sweet Reason, lying in the sand where she'd dropped it when Carlos kissed her. "Skullcracking and Manhandling 101?"
[Carlos] Head-thwackin' 101 (tag George, open)
Date: 2006-04-25 07:01 am (UTC)The stand of mangroves nearest was way too muddy, so they settled for a couple of coconut palms nearish the bower that had been kitted out like a birthday cake the day Carlos arrived. Carlos knew she'd have to get used to the weight of the staff, so he laid the bamboo aside and showed her a few basic moves to practice. "You basically go pick up Stick at least twice a day, every day, extra when you're frustrated or pissed off. You go through these motions over and over again, and they get into your muscles. It becomes like a moving meditation after a while."
"These are all blocks?" George guessed, accurately.
"Yup. Absolute first thing you want to get into your reflexes. That and how to fall, but that's for another day.
"The thing about cane-fighting is, it's versatile. Most people who don't know much about how to fight with a length of wood want to grab it by one end and swing it like a baseball bat, but the problem is, that's tiring and slow. You have to grab it, bring it all the way up, bring it all the way around and hope your target doesn't rush you in the meantime.
"Better to be sneaky. LIke, for example, grabbing your stick-o-doom in both hands, arms shoulder width, and--" he demonstrated blocking blows from all sides. "Now, some guy tries to rush you from behind, you don't have to change your grip and swing on him. Just turn around and give him a hard tap in the solar plexus with the end. You'll have the whole force of your body pivoting behind it, and it's a lot faster than the club approach."
"So what happens if someone grabs the stick?"
Carlos grinned. "Then you let them hang onto it while you beat them with one leg, your free hand and whatever else is handy. Don't waste time struggling over a length of wood. You hit them hard enough and they'll let it go anyway."
OOC comment
Date: 2006-04-25 02:54 pm (UTC)Re: OOC comment
Date: 2006-04-25 04:24 pm (UTC)[George] Head-thwackin' 101 (tag Carlos, open)
Date: 2006-04-25 09:48 pm (UTC)She flailed at empty air with the stick for a minute before Carlos corrected her. He stepped up close behind her and put his hands on her hips. "Don't use your arms so much," he told her. "That will tire you out very quickly. Use your hips."
He leaned in close, adding, "I know you know how to do that, sweetheart." Then he was all business again. "Twist at the hips, turn your whole torso. That will generate a lot more power than using just your arms."
George worked at that for a few minutes before Carlos had her stand in front of one of the trees. "Try hitting the tree now," he said.
The lesson continued for a while. Carlos continued to correct her form, sometimes verbally, sometimes by touch. He threw in compliments or innuendo quite frequently; George enjoyed them, but by the end of the lesson she had begun to suspect that he meant them but he also used them to keep her entertained and paying attention. If so, it worked.
[Carlos] Head-thwackin' 101 (tag George, open)
Date: 2006-04-25 10:31 pm (UTC)George was a quick learner, and she had some good upper body strength to work with. ("Yanking souls builds strong bodies!") But she was a little stiff through the waist, and needed to use the strength in her legs and hips more. He showed her (trying not to get TOO grabby, heh), using a baseball player's swing as his example. "You don't hit a ball out of the park on just arm and shoulder strength. That's why he stands sideways and turns in to the ball as it comes up." He stood behind her and helped her with positioning.
/Blondie's still popping her head up to look at us like a gopher out of the hole now and again./
"So what do you think so far?" he asked George after the session was over and they were cooling down with some water. "Besides that a swim would be nice?"
[George] Swimming (tag Carlos, open)
Date: 2006-04-26 01:15 am (UTC)At Carlos' shocked look, George shrugged. "The ocean's too cold in the Pacific Northwest, and we've been too busy since we got here. My family always went to a cabin on a lake for vacations."
"I've gone wading out there a couple of times, but that's all. I'm game if you are!"
OOC: Perhaps we should start a new thread for their ocean adventures.
Re: [George] Swimming (tag Carlos, open)
Date: 2006-04-26 04:10 am (UTC)George: *swims out a bit far* Shit, I missed three of the drowners. Scuse me. *dives*
Oh, and btw, if you think George is going off into the woods without him....XD